Head of Design Centre of Excellence

**Enhanced Job Description** **📍 Job Overview** - **Job Title:** Head of Design Centre of Excellence - **Company:** HSBC - **Location:** London, United Kingdom - **Job Type:** Hybrid - **Category:** Design Management - **Date Posted:** June 3, 2025 **🎨 Design Role Summary** - Lead and strategize the Design Centre of Excellence (COE) to drive design excellence and consistency across HSBC's global design teams. - Collaborate with design leadership and stakeholders to define the COE's vision, structure, and strategic role. - Empower design at scale through capacity planning, resourcing strategy, and capability development. - Drive operational excellence by building and improving systems, standards, and governance for consistent, high-quality design delivery. - Champion design collaboration and alignment across product, technology, and business functions. **🖼️ Primary Design Responsibilities** - **📝 Enhancement Note:** The role requires a strategic mindset, with a balance of design leadership and operational expertise. 1. **Lead the Design Centre of Excellence:** Define the vision, structure, and strategic role of the Design COE to deliver lasting value to the organization and customers. 2. **Empower design at scale:** Lead global capacity planning, resourcing strategy, and capability development using data-driven insights to ensure the right teams are solving the right problems at the right time. 3. **Drive operational excellence:** Build and continuously improve systems, standards, and governance that enable consistent, high-quality design delivery across teams and regions. 4. **Champion collaboration and alignment:** Act as a key partner across product, technology, and business functions, advocating for design and enabling stronger ways of working across functions. 5. **Elevate craft and culture:** Create an environment where design talent can grow and thrive, with clear progression, effective onboarding, targeted development, and shared definitions of success. **🎓 Design Skills & Qualifications** - **Education:** Bachelor's degree in Design, Business, or a related field. Relevant postgraduate qualifications are a plus. - **Experience:** Proven experience leading large-scale or multi-region design functions, with a strong foundation in design operations, strategic planning, and programme delivery. - **Required Design Skills:** - Deep expertise in design leadership and operations - Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills - Hands-on understanding of design disciplines (UX, UI, research, and service design) - Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive design outcomes - Strong commercial and stakeholder acumen - **Preferred Design Skills:** - Experience in financial services or a related industry - Familiarity with agile methodologies and design sprints - Knowledge of design systems and component libraries **🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements** - **Portfolio Essentials:** - Demonstrate a strong portfolio showcasing your design leadership and operational expertise. - Include case studies highlighting your ability to drive design excellence at scale. - Showcase your understanding of design systems, standards, and governance. - **Design Process Documentation:** - Prepare a document outlining your approach to design operations, capacity planning, and capability development. - Include examples of how you've driven operational excellence in previous roles. **💵 Compensation & Benefits** - **Salary Range:** £120,000 - £150,000 per annum (region-specific, based on experience level and design industry benchmarks) - **Benefits:** - Private healthcare for UK-based employees - Enhanced maternity and adoption pay - Contributory pension scheme with generous employer contribution - Flexible working arrangements (part-time, job sharing, term-time, working from home, and staggered hours) - Employee resource groups promoting work-life balance and diversity ambitions - Reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates during the recruitment process - **Working Hours:** 37.5 hours per week, with flexibility for hybrid work arrangements **🎯 Design Team & Company Context** - **Company & Design Culture:** - HSBC is a global financial services organization with a diverse design team. - The Design COE plays a critical role in shaping design culture, standards, and best practices. - HSBC values collaboration, innovation, and a customer-centric approach to design. - **Design Team Structure:** - The Design COE works closely with design leadership and business stakeholders to define the COE's structure and strategic role. - The COE collaborates with design teams worldwide to empower design at scale and drive operational excellence. - **Design Methodology:** - HSBC employs a user-centered design approach, with a focus on research, ideation, prototyping, and testing. - The Design COE promotes design thinking methodologies and data-driven decision-making across design teams. **📈 Design Career & Growth Analysis** - **Design Career Level:** Senior design leadership role, reporting directly to the Global Head of Design. - **Reporting Structure:** The Design COE reports to the Global Head of Design and collaborates with design leadership and business stakeholders. - **Design Impact:** The Design COE influences design strategy, capacity planning, and operational excellence across HSBC's global design teams. **🌐 Design Work Environment** - **Studio Type:** Hybrid work environment, with a combination of on-site and remote work options. - **Office Location(s):** 8 Canada Square, London, E14 5HQ, UK (with potential for remote work) - **Design Workspace Context:** - Collaborative workspace with design team interaction opportunities. - Access to design tools, software, and technology for remote work. - Flexible working arrangements to support design workflow and creative flow. **📄 Design Application & Portfolio Review Process** - **Design Interview Process:** 1. Online application review and initial screening. 2. Phone or video call to discuss your portfolio, design leadership experience, and strategic approach to design operations. 3. On-site or virtual interview with the Global Head of Design and other design leadership team members. 4. Final interview with the Global Head of Design and relevant business stakeholders. - **Portfolio Review Tips:** - Tailor your portfolio to highlight your design leadership and operational expertise. - Include case studies demonstrating your ability to drive design excellence at scale. - Showcase your understanding of design systems, standards, and governance. - **Design Challenge Preparation:** - Familiarize yourself with HSBC's design approach, design thinking methodologies, and user-centered design principles. - Prepare for design challenges that assess your ability to drive design excellence and operational excellence. **🛠 Design Tools & Technology Stack** - **Primary Design Tools:** - Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD for UI/UX design and prototyping - InVision, Zeplin, or Marvel for design collaboration and handoff - Miro, Lucidchart, or Draw.io for design process documentation and workflow management - **Design Collaboration & Handoff:** - Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Workspace for team communication and collaboration - JIRA, Asana, or Trello for project management and task tracking - Confluence, Azure DevOps, or GitHub for design system management and version control - **Design Research & Testing:** - UserTesting, UsabilityHub, or Hotjar for user testing and feedback collection - Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Amplitude for design performance measurement and optimization **👥 Design Team Culture & Values** - **Design Values:** - Customer-centric design approach - Collaboration and innovation - Continuous learning and improvement - Data-driven decision-making and design thinking methodologies - **Design Collaboration Style:** - Cross-functional design integration and stakeholder communication - Design critique culture and feedback exchange methods - Design system contribution and knowledge sharing practices **⚡ Design Challenges & Growth Opportunities** - **Design Challenges:** - Scaling design operations and capacity planning across multiple regions - Balancing design quality and consistency with operational efficiency - Driving design excellence while managing stakeholder expectations and resources - **Learning & Development Opportunities:** - Design leadership and mentoring opportunities - Industry conferences and workshop participation - Design mentorship and leadership development programs **💡 Design Interview Preparation** - **Design Process Questions:** - Prepare for questions about your design leadership experience, strategic approach to design operations, and ability to drive design excellence at scale. - Practice explaining your design process, capacity planning, and capability development strategies. - **Company & Design Culture Questions:** - Research HSBC's design approach, design thinking methodologies, and user-centered design principles. - Prepare for questions about your alignment with HSBC's design values and culture. - **Portfolio Presentation Strategy:** - Tailor your portfolio to highlight your design leadership and operational expertise. - Practice presenting your portfolio with a focus on design process, case studies, and strategic insights. **📌 Application Steps** 1. Submit your application through the provided link. 2. Customize your resume and portfolio to highlight your design leadership and operational expertise. 3. Prepare for design challenges and interviews by familiarizing yourself with HSBC's design approach and design thinking methodologies. 4. Research HSBC's design culture, values, and design team structure to ensure a strong cultural fit. 5. Practice presenting your portfolio and design leadership strategies to showcase your ability to drive design excellence and operational excellence.